Foldingchair



(No Model.)

I I 2 Shee1sSheet 1;

J. E. WAKEFIELD.

FOLDING CHAIR. v

Patented- Ja'n. 18, 1887.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2..

J. E. WAKEFIELD.

FOLDING CHAIR. No. 356,218. Patented Jan. 18, 1887.

n. PEYERS, Photo-Lithographer. wumn m. 0.0.

UNirEn STATES PATENT @rrrcE.

JOHN E. WAKEFIELD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOLDING CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 356,218, dated January 18, 1887.

Application filed Scptemborl-l, 1885. Renewed October 19, 1886. Serial No. 216,664. (No model.)

1 0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN E. VVAKEFIELD, of orcester, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Folding Chairs, of which the following is a'specitication.

The object of this invention is to make a chair, especially adapted to churches, halls,and public buildings, in which the backs can be connected together in a range and the seats can be closed up separately, so that the required. passage can be obtained for moving along between two ranges of seats, and in addition to this the back and legs fold for transportation.

In Letters Patent No. 179, 979, granted to me July 18, 1876, a chair is represented in which the seat is pivoted to the back and swings upwardly, and there is a seat-frame also pivoted to the back and connected to the seat by a link, so that as the seat is raised the seat-frame is moved at the same time, but the seat-frame is suspended by links from the front legs and rests upon a crossrail, so that when the seat is raised the chair-frameis simultaneously folded.

In my present invention the seat is pivoted near theback edge and swings upwardly in closing, and the seat-support is pivoted at its back end and forms a brace for supporting the seat, and there are preferably links connecting the seat-support to the seat, so that the seat when in use is supported by the seat support or brace and the connections to the back-frame of the chair, and the seat and seatsupport can be raised or lowered without the other portions of the chair being moved, thus adapting the seat to use in public buildings where the chairs are connected together in ranges. I also combine with the aforesaid folding seat the back-frame and folding arms and legs, by means of which the ranges of chairs can be folded into a small compass for transportation.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is asection of one chair with the seat as opened out for use, and the-next seat is represented as folded up; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of two chairs. one of the seats being folded up against the back and the other opened out for use; and Fig. 3 is a section representing a modification in the folding legs of the chair.

(1 represents the seat, which may be upholstered, caned, or finished in any desired manner, and the same is of any suitable size. This seat is pivoted at i to the back-frame a, and beneath the seat is the seat-support 7c, pivoted at n to the chair-frame, and there are one or more cross-rods, h, connecting the two parts k of the seat-support, and the links tshould extend from the seat-support 75 to the seat d, so as to swing the seatsupport back and cause it to fold whenever the seat d is raised, and when the seat is in use the support It forms a brace for supporting the seat and the weight upon it. This seat and seat-support may be used with any desired character of back'and folding legs. I have shown in Fig. 1 the back-frame a as extending down, forming the front legs, there being several of such frames united together by the rails b to form a range of chairs or settees adapted to receive several separate seats, and the back legs, Z, are pivoted to the frame a, so as to form an X or folding settee or chair-frame. These legs a Z may be kept from spreading apart by jointed bars pivoted at their ends to the legs, as shown by dotted lines at a; but I prefer to extend the legs Zabove the seat d, and to connect the same to the arms at by the links .9, such links .9 being preferably of thin metal, passing into saw-cuts atthe upper end of the legs [and under sides of the arm-pieces m, and through holes in the ends of these links s the respective pivot-pins are passed. The I arms at are pivoted at r to the back-frames a, and the back legs, Z, are connected together by rails or a stretcher, 12, so that all the back legs of the settee or range of chairs, together with the rails 12, form one frame, and the back and front legs, together with the rails b, form another frame, the two frames swingingon the pivot a when the range of chairs or settee is being folded for transportation or opened out for use. p

In Fig. 1 I have shown the pivot n as common for the legs and seat-support to swing upon; but it is not necessary that the seatsupport pivots correspond to the pivots for the folding legs, and in Fig. 3 I have shown the pivot for the legs as higher up than the pivot n for the seat-support; and it will also be apparent that the pivot or connection for the seat-support may be placed much lower down than the pivot n, Fig. 1. For examplc,the seatsupport 70 may be extended down in the form indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3, so that the lower ends of the seat support 7c reach nearly to the floor, and are pivoted to the bolt that passes through and connects together the lower ends of the frames a, or said support may rest upon the floor, the seat in all instances folding upwardly upon the pivots at the back and independently of the legs and back-frame, 1'11 order that each separate seat in the range of chairs forming the settce may be turned up or down at will, so that persons may pass along freely between the ranges of chairs or setters.

It will be apparent that the links i may be dispensed with as unnecessary in cases where the seat support does not fold up with the seat, andwhere the seat-support 7c is such as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

I claim as my invcntion- 1. The combination, with the back-frame and folding legs, of a seat pivoted at its back part to the back-frame and folding upwardly, a seat-support, k, upon which the seat rests when open for use, and links connecting the seat and seat support, substantially as specified, whereby the seat and seat support can be folded upwardly independently of the backframe and legs, as set forth.

2. The combination, with the folding X legs or frames (4 Z and the arm-pieces m and links 8, of the seat (I, pivoted at i to the frame a, the seatsupport 7t, pivoted atits lower ends, and the links t, connecting the seat-support and seat, substantially as set forth.

3. Two or more back-frames, a, forming also the front legs, and the rails b, for connecting the frames together, in combination with the legs Z, forming folding X-frames for a range of chairs, the separate seats (I, pivoted at the back corners to the back-frame and folding upwardly, the seatsupport 7c, and links t, 0011- neeting the seat-supports and seats, substantially as set forth.

1-. The back-frames a, forming also the front legs, and the connecting-rails I), in combination with the legs Z, forming the folding X-frames for a range of chairs, the separate seats cl, pivoted at the back to the back-frame and folding upwardly, and the seat-supports 7c, connected to the frames (0, and upon which the seats d rest, substantially as set forth.

Signed by me this 9th day of September, A. D. 1885.

JOHN E. \VAKEFIELD.

iVitnesscsr HENRY Bacon, FREDK. J. BARNARD. 

